1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self cleaning, self polishing, self lapping, self honing composition for piston and rotary valves, and for fast slides, which must be able to move quickly to correct intonation, as opposed to slow slides, such as tuning slides, which are set in place and occasionally reset to adjust pitch, within musical instruments, and to a method for using the composition to eliminate a tendency of such valves and slides to stick or operate slowly; without requiring significant down time of the instrument and effort of the musician.
2. Summary of the Background Information
Musicians from all over the world frequently experience problems with sticky valves used to control the pitches produced by various instruments, such as trumpets and other valve controlled instruments, with reluctant slides in trombones used to control pitch, and with fast compensating slides used to correct intonation. Over time, these problems can be caused by the formation of debris on surfaces sliding in contact with one another in the valves and slides. Although seemingly invisible, a coating formed by this debris can have deleterious effects. One form of the debris is oil residue. Like skin, metal has pores, with some metals having more of a tendency to collect residue than others, within microscopic pores. Other causes for an accumulation of debris include mineral deposits from saliva, food and beverages consumed by the musician, especially food and beverages containing sugars and starches, remaining in the mouth after eating, will find their way to the valves but will not necessarily impact the slides.
Debris on the surfaces sliding in contact within valves and slides may also be accumulated through the use of a detergent or dish washing soap containing silicones and lanolin, which are difficult to rinse away. Many musicians like to give their instruments an occasional bath with such a detergent or dish washing soap. While bathing the instrument might be suitable, surfaces sliding in contact with one another within the valves and slides should only be wiped clean.
Even if the valve or slide operates properly following cleaning, it will often operate properly as the instrument is played for a time that is much too short. While effective lubricants are widely available, this problem is often caused by a failure to clean away the entire residue left in the valve mechanism by merely wiping the surfaces dry. Such residue may include particles introduced into the instrument as it is played and sticky masses left by the previously-applied lubricant. What is needed is a fast, effective method for cleaning the valve and slide mechanisms with virtually no instrument downtime and with little effort on the part of the musician.
Products known as lapping compounds are presently marketed for fixing sticky valves within musical instruments. These products include an abrasive medium in the form of a powder, which may be emery or an ordinary variety of garnet. The emery powder is a dark, impure, and irregularly shaped variety of corundum, which is available in several grit sizes, while the ordinary variety of garnet is a hard silicate mineral crystal that can be crushed into several irregularly shaped grit sizes. According to the directions provided with such products, the contact surfaces sliding against one another are wiped dry before applying some of the compound to the movable surface. Then, after the instrument is reassembled, the valve is manually pushed up and down for 15-20 minutes, or longer if needed. The instrument is then disassembled, given a bath, dried, lubricated, and reassembled. If the problem has not been resolved, the entire process must be repeated. This process can possibly cause irreparable damage to the instrument by increasing the clearance between opposing metal parts, causing air leakage that must be compensated for by efforts of the musician, reducing his endurance. Also this process requires downtime and the active participation of the musician as part of the fix.
Slow or sticky valves or slides may be caused by means other than a lack of cleaning or a build up of solidified minerals on the metal surfaces. Mechanical problems include unevenly worn valves, dented or twisted valve casings and dented slides. Damage to sliding contact surfaces within valves and slides may additionally be caused by rotating a valve or slide, disturbing the normal wear pattern created by movement of the valve or slide upward and downward, or inward and outward. For example, damage can be caused by rotating a valve as it is inserted into a casing of an instrument. Instead, the valve guide should be aligned with the notch inside the casing, with the valve then being inserted straight down allowing about a quarter inch of the valve exposed above the casing. Then, after lubricating around the valve, the valve is fully inserted. Additionally, one leg of a slide should never be rotated back and forth in an attempt to make it move more freely. While dents and other damage that is clearly visible should be repaired by a qualified technician, what is needed is a composition that can be applied to correct microscopic damage, avoiding a repair bill.
The patent literature describes a number of examples of compositions and methods for cleaning and lubricating the valves and slides of musical instruments. For example, the application of a nontoxic and biodegradable lubricant and/or cleaning composition to the moving parts of musical instruments is described. The composition may include a nontoxic oil base, such as vegetable oil, preferably corn oil or olive oil, and a nontoxic solvent, such as ethanol, and/or a citrus solvent, such as a terpene compound. Alternately, the slide of a trombone is lubricated by applying a layer of silicone fluid, by then applying soap to the slide, and by thereafter spraying water on the slide. Alternately, a colloidal lubricant, having the lubricating characteristics without the stickiness of grease, is provided for lubricating valves in musical wind instruments. The colloidal lubricant is formed of a mixture of wax and oil, preferably mineral oil, mixed in approximately equal proportions. A device for cleaning and lubricating the valves of a musical instrument, such as a trumpet, is also described. The device includes a casing having a pair of openings, one of which has a peripheral cleaning pad, while the other has a peripheral lubricating pad. The valve is selectively inserted in both openings for cleaning and lubricating.